Chad Bradley “About Those TPS Reports”

You don’t need to leave your bad job and you certainly don’t need to stay at your good one either.

Let’s be honest, most days working in the Christian radio world is like a dream come true. It is a fulfilling way to spend your day—being around music that points people to Jesus, interacting with talented artists and using your God-given talents to create exceptional moments!

Unfortunately, for all of the good days, good stations and good leaders the opposite exists and that dream can quickly turn into a nightmare. What fuels the nightmare can come from any number of circumstances but often it is from a culture fostered by bad leadership.

For the record, bad leadership does not equal bad intentions. Oftentimes, they are leading the way they have been led and don’t know any differently.

If you find yourself in a scenario that you would deem less than ideal, now or in the future, I have good news for you: you can leave. The next job could be the best fit for you!

But if you leave looking for a better situation know this: you may find the same dysfunction at your next assignment. Leaving may not give you the peace you were looking for, but staying doesn’t have to mean settling.

Deciding whether you should leave or not is a big decision. One that I can not answer for you.  But what I can do is give you three potential reasons to leave a good employer and three potential reasons to stay under bad leadership.

THREE REASONS TO LEAVE THE GOOD

1. There is a better opportunity:  I said it. If you encounter an exceptional opportunity aligned with your long-term career goals and calling, it’s more than fair to consider making a move. Even if you’re leaving good leadership.
2. You need more of a challenge: If you’ve hit a career plateau with no further room for personal or professional growth it’s time to consider moving on.
3. Your Priorities Change: Sometimes change is needed because of evolving circumstances, updated personal goals or because you feel God pushing you in a new and exciting direction. #valid

It is OK for you to leave a great place.

THREE REASONS TO STAY AT THE “BAD”

1. Ministry Impact: Sometimes staying put lets you be a part of a meaningful impact on the community that you are in. You can feel just as fulfilled knowing the impact you are having. The pros far outweigh the cons.
2. Job Security. If the job market is lean and you’re concerned about finding a new position, you might opt to stay in your current job. But should you choose to stay, do yourself and the ministry a favor and do not give up on the team. Good change can still happen and you can be a part of it.
3. Opportunity to learn. Years ago, I was in a less-than-ideal work situation and ended up staying much longer than I wanted. Several factors kept me in place, but as I was confiding in my dad, he gave me some priceless advice that I will also share with you. He told me that I “could learn just as much from a bad leader as I could from a great leader.” He pointed out that I was currently learning how not to lead and that can be just as valuable. 

In Matthew 14, the disciples were in a scary situation. They were out in a boat in the middle of the lake, with strong winds and waves crashing over. It wasn’t a great place for them to be, and they were most likely looking for a way out of it. Suddenly, they saw Jesus walking on the water. This would seem like a good discovery, except, at first they thought Jesus was a ghost. If that were true that would have been extra bad news.

The wind was blowing, the waves were crashing and now a water-walking ghost is in their presence. The disciples are questioning their life choices at this point. Jesus calls out to them and tells them to know who it is they are seeing and to take courage and not be afraid. Peter seizes the moment to act like a little brother and tells Jesus to prove it, bro. So Jesus does and he invites him to get out of the boat. Proving Peter is a man of action and not a lot of thinking, HE GETS OUT! It pays off, however and Peter finds himself walking on water.

Now, even if it was just for a moment, Peter followed Jesus into an unthinkable situation and he was able to experience something no other human ever has. Except maybe Chris Angel. I saw him do it once on TV and it looked real.

The fact is that you can thrive in a miserable work culture and you can be miserable in a thriving work culture. The line between dream job and nightmare job often comes down to your proximity to Jesus.

Chad Bradley is a Morning Show Host and Podcast Director at 104.9 The River. Voicetracker, Voiceover Artist and Dreamer.

Chad can be reached at cbradley@riverradio.com